Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Listening to The Beatles without earmuffs

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Listening to The Beatles without earmuffs

    Ian Fleming famously used James Bond as a vehicle to inform the world at large about his own idiosyncratic tastes in clothes, food, booze and other lifestyle accoutrements. Latterday authors, particularly in the thriller and crime genres, often ascribe their own musical tastes to their characters, usually to reinforce the impression that the protagonist is a pretty cool cat.

    Sadly, this doesn't always have the intended effect. My enjoyment of Carl Hiaasen's novels was never enhanced by his various heroes' common affection for Jackson Browne type country rock. More recently, a particularly tough case in the company of Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole was almost overshadowed by the companion mystery of why the self-destructive Norwegian crimebuster seemed quite so fond of the MOR dribblings of Snow Patrol.

    Have other OTFers had cause to question the musical choices of their fictional favourites?

    #2
    Listening to The Beatles without earmuffs

    It's not quite the same thing, but I can think of two books with jarring musical references. Jean-Claude Izzo's detective novel Total Chaos has an aging lead character waxing lyical over IAM, which just feels like someone trying really hard to be down with the kids. And China Mieville's early effort King Rat hasn't aged as well as it could have thanks to its love affair with drum and bass.

    Comment


      #3
      Listening to The Beatles without earmuffs

      Crusoe wrote:
      And China Mieville's early effort King Rat hasn't aged as well as it could have thanks to its love affair with drum and bass.
      He should have stuck it under the bed for 40 years and then published to a chorus of praise for the James Ellroy-like grasp of period popular culture.

      Comment


        #4
        Listening to The Beatles without earmuffs

        More recently, a particularly tough case in the company of Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole was almost overshadowed by the companion mystery of why the self-destructive Norwegian crimebuster seemed quite so fond of the MOR dribblings of Snow Patrol.

        Yes but Ellen, his sidekick, is a big Prince fan which more than makes up for it.

        Comment


          #5
          Listening to The Beatles without earmuffs

          benjm wrote:
          Have other OTFers had cause to question the musical choices of their fictional favourites?
          Quite the opposite - Ian Rankin introduced me to Mogwai via the somewhat eclectic taste of his fictional detective hero John Rebus.

          Comment


            #6
            Listening to The Beatles without earmuffs

            I'm not quite sure where Patrick Bateman figures in this

            Comment


              #7
              Listening to The Beatles without earmuffs

              Yes, Bateman's appalling musical tastes made American Psycho extra chilling, IMO...

              The two ageing characters in Zadie Smith's otherwise quite brilliant White Teeth were so far down with the kids that they spoke of The Beastie Boys in 1984 - ie, three years before the group broke in the UK. A small point, however.

              Comment


                #8
                Listening to The Beatles without earmuffs

                Two years.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Listening to The Beatles without earmuffs

                  Listening to The Beatles with earplugs enables you to hear em singing Frere Jacque (sp?) in the back ground at various points.
                  Yknow the old 60s old skool, school singing lessons "singing in rounds" classic....yknow the one.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Listening to The Beatles without earmuffs

                    Two years.
                    I'm sticking with three. 'Fight For Your Right to Party' entered the charts on 28 February 1987.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Listening to The Beatles without earmuffs

                      I've been reading loads of Italian crime novels recently. People like Nicolo Ammaniti, Giancarlo Carofiglio, people like that. Their protagonists seem to spend every idle moment sitting down and listening to Dire Straits or Simply Red.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Listening to The Beatles without earmuffs

                        Purves Grundy wrote:
                        I've been reading loads of Italian crime novels recently. People like Nicolo Ammaniti, Giancarlo Carofiglio, people like that. Their protagonists seem to spend every idle moment sitting down and listening to Dire Straits or Simply Red.
                        Not good on the face of it. What do you think the desired effect is; to show the characters as hip music lovers, dull-to-ordinary everymen, or sick perverts who are every bit as evil as the felons they pursue and deserve to have their ears nailed shut?

                        Perhaps Mark Knopfler is the David Platt of music. Disproportionately unloved at home because of unfortunate associations (Knopfler - the death of vinyl, Platt - the Taylor years), each won the love of the Italian public through their immaculate craftsmanship and refined table manners.

                        Previously I had always assumed that MK was the Steve Foster of music, on account of his insistence on wearing a stupid f*cking headband for the duration of the 1980s.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Listening to The Beatles without earmuffs

                          benjm wrote:
                          Perhaps Mark Knopfler is the David Platt of music. Disproportionately unloved
                          Knopfler can never be disproportionately unloved. Unless he's not being hated enough. Or something.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Listening to The Beatles without earmuffs

                            Pele = The Beatles
                            Maradona = The Rolling Stones
                            Cruyff = Bob Dylan

                            ...is not really relevant to this thread, but it's what I've always thought.

                            That quote in the title (from "Goldfinger", in 1964) seems in retrospect a bit of a mis-step, considering how closely Bond films were linked to the "sexual revolution" and all that palaver (despite being essentially propaganda for a peculiar kind of paranoid yet laissez-faire Conservatism). Then again, it clearly wouldn't have been right if Bond had been a Beatle fan... but what did he listen to, while breakfasting on "yogurt, green figs, coffee, very black"? Jazz is my guess.

                            I hate novels where the main characters' musical tastes are clearly stated.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Listening to The Beatles without earmuffs

                              Taylor wrote:
                              That quote in the title (from "Goldfinger", in 1964) seems in retrospect a bit of a mis-step, considering how closely Bond films were linked to the "sexual revolution" and all that palaver (despite being essentially propaganda for a peculiar kind of paranoid yet laissez-faire Conservatism). Then again, it clearly wouldn't have been right if Bond had been a Beatle fan... but what did he listen to, while breakfasting on "yogurt, green figs, coffee, very black"? Jazz is my guess.

                              I hate novels where the main characters' musical tastes are clearly stated.
                              The earmuffs quote is the definitive indicator of why, however many recasts or reboots the series goes through, Bond films will always be a bit crap; they're pretty much stuck with having James Bond as the lead character.

                              In the books, Bond isn't a great music buff, except possibly for the odd bit of French chanson. He has a bit of an ear for the local jazz/calypso/mento when he's on assignment but the effect is to suggest that music is something one only partakes of on holiday, like sandals for the ears. This is a bit weird to say the least.

                              Agree on the characters' musical taste point. I guess it shows how personal and close music is. I haven't played chess since I was ten but Philip Marlowe's liking for chess puzzles doesn't irritate me the way, allowing for anachronism, his being a big Bat For Lashes fan would.

                              Comment


                                #16
                                Listening to The Beatles without earmuffs

                                Taylor wrote:
                                Pele = The Beatles
                                Maradona = The Rolling Stones
                                Cruyff = Bob Dylan

                                ...is not really relevant to this thread, but it's what I've always thought.

                                That quote in the title (from "Goldfinger", in 1964) seems in retrospect a bit of a mis-step, considering how closely Bond films were linked to the "sexual revolution" and all that palaver (despite being essentially propaganda for a peculiar kind of paranoid yet laissez-faire Conservatism). Then again, it clearly wouldn't have been right if Bond had been a Beatle fan... but what did he listen to, while breakfasting on "yogurt, green figs, coffee, very black"? Jazz is my guess.

                                I hate novels where the main characters' musical tastes are clearly stated.
                                In the early 80s, I was a really massive 60s fan, so much so that the kids in my class at school thought I was old-fashioned (and this is from the ages of 11 to 15!)
                                When I first saw Goldfinger around this time, and hearing that quote I tried to make myself believe that it meant he actually likedThe Beatles. It was only sometime later reading a James Bond annual that it said he didn't like them that I was a bit pissed off.
                                Still, he was the only person in the 60s who didn't!

                                Loved the football/music analogy at the top, so is George Best, Elvis or Sex Pistols?

                                Comment


                                  #17
                                  Listening to The Beatles without earmuffs

                                  T Rex, perhaps.

                                  Garrincha was Elvis. With Stanley Matthews as David Bowie.

                                  Kevin Keegan = Abba - that much I do know.

                                  Comment


                                    #18
                                    Listening to The Beatles without earmuffs

                                    No no, Garrincha was Little Richard and surely John White was Bowie... mutable, ever changing, there yet not there... type of thing.

                                    Comment


                                      #19
                                      Listening to The Beatles without earmuffs

                                      Neil Webb = Red Box

                                      Comment


                                        #20
                                        Listening to The Beatles without earmuffs

                                        You obviously know him well...

                                        Comment


                                          #21
                                          Listening to The Beatles without earmuffs

                                          George Best was Jimmy Page.

                                          Comment


                                            #22
                                            Listening to The Beatles without earmuffs

                                            John Terry is Sting. An utter Sting, in fact.

                                            Comment

                                            Working...
                                            X